Gov. Tom Corbett's shadow hangs over PASSHE chancellor vote

The governing board of Pennsylvania
System of Higher Education is scheduled to vote on a new chancellor to serve as sort of superintendent of the 14 state-owned universities.

The names of all job applicants,
including the final three finalists, have been kept secret under a policy that calls
for confidentiality the board adopted in January. That is different the board’s
prior practice of publicizing the names of the three finalists.

However, at least one finalists’ name is
known, and he is Ron Tomalis, Gov. Tom Corbett’s ex-education secretary.
Tomalis -- coincidently or not -- voted to implement the confidentiality policy
prior to him stepping down from his sis secretary gig and becoming a
stay-at-home-bureaucrat because Corbett named him special adviser to the
governor on higher education – a newly created position with no office hours
and a $139,931 salary.

As this Morning Call story shows, there is speculation Tomalis (pictured above) has used inside knowledge and/or political influence to get thisclose to being named chancellor since he his bachelor's degree would disqualify him from serving as an adjunct professor at most state-owned universities.